Category Archives: Blog Articles

California drivers have been familiar with laws that prohibit driving while texting (except through voice operated and hands-free features), but as of January 2017, a new law came into effect.

The New 2017 Law

This new law requires your device to be mounted on the windshield, dashboard or center console. The DMV clarifies that “The driver’s hand may only be used to activate or deactivate a feature or function on the device with the motion of a single swipe or tap of the driver’s finger, but not while holding it.”

The new law seeks to address recent driving behaviors and newer technology. Many drivers are texting behind the wheel, as well as reading GPS directions, reading news articles, streaming videos and taking photos.

“On average, texting takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds: that’s enough time to travel the length of a football field.” CHP officer Jesus Chavez reported to KSBW news that “You’re not paying attention or something happens in front of you by the time your mind thinks about it and you react to it, it is definitely too late.”

Fines and Consequences

In addition to poor driving decisions and possible accidents, the new law carries the consequence of fines.

News source Kron4 reports that “The base fine for a first violation is $20 and $50 for any subsequent violations.”

While $20 or $50 may not sound like much to some, Nolo.com reminds readers that the amount is just the base fine: “The actual amount you’ll pay once assessments are added will be significantly more than the base fine. The total for a first violation will likely exceed $150, and a second or subsequent offense can cost over $250.”

Because the costs of a mount is relatively inexpensive – about the cost of the base fine – it’s well worth the investment to follow the law and purchase a mount.

And while insurance companies don’t currently consider this “non-moving violation” a point on your record, that might change. We want you to be safe and prepared!

Giveaway!

As a gift and incentive to our clients and social media followers, we’re giving away 5 (five) smartphone car mounts.

To be entered into the giveaway, follow the link below to our Facebook page and “share” the post. Please also comment that you have “shared” on the original post so we can be sure to see your shares even if your facebook account is set to private.

You may “share” once a week for additional entries.

The giveaway ends on May 19th 11:59PM and winners will be announced on Facebook on May 21st.

The holidays and New Year’s celebrations are a time of travel and festivities. And while we hope that the holidays are a time of celebration, nothing could be more devastating during this time than a home break-in or an unexpected accident.

Forward your mail and ask a neighbor to collect mailers and newspapers that may otherwise accumulate at your front door.

Install motion censored lights on the exterior of the house.

Put interior lights on timers that light at varied times.

Consider installing security cameras near the doors and in various parts of the home to monitor activity.

Holiday Party Tips and Precautions

Entertaining guests at your home for the holidays? As alcohol is typically served at holiday gatherings, Indiana.edu offers a number of helpful suggestions for pacing the drinking at your home soiree.

Most notably, don’t allow intoxicated guests to drive home. In recent years apps like Lyft and Uber have grown in popularity so that they are readily available in major cities (and many suburbs) and are ready for pickup in minutes. On your party invitations and correspondences, suggest that your guests download the app on their smart phones pre-party. Also have the number for the local taxi service on-hand.

A Homeowners Policy and Rental Insurance Offer Peace of Mind

Both a homeowners policy and renters insurance can help you cover your property and possessions if they are damaged or destroyed – or if your valuables are stolen.

Additionally these policies can cover your assets if you are sued for negligence that caused an accident.

At Cappuccino Insurance wish you happy holidays and a happy new year. If you have questions about your coverage, please contact us!

A dog is known as man’s best friend for a reason, but as dog owners know, owning a dog is accompanied by many expenses and responsibilities. When people pick out their perfect companion they might not have homeowner’s insurance on the mind, but if you own a home, having coverage and being proactive about your liabilities is a priority.

The type of breed you have, your dog’s personal history, and the insurance company who covers you are all factors in what type of coverage you can have, but some dog owners may not be eligible for coverage at all.

What owning specific breeds means for your homeowner’s policy

If you have a dog on that list you need to pay more attention to your policy. This list can vary state by state and by insurance company, so it’s best to consult with your agent and pay attention to the language in your policy.

It’s important to stress that if you have one of those breeds and don’t report it to your agent, your insurance will be dropped.

If you have a dog on that list, you may still be insured by some companies, but those incidents aren’t covered, yet some companies may not insure you at all. It’s best to consult with your agent and review the language in your policy.

Key Points for Dog Owners:

When signing up for homeowner’s insurance, your insurance agent has to ask if you have a dog and document the breed. Be honest.

When adding a new dog to your household, keep your agent abreast of what kind of breed it is.

The insurance agency will send out an inspector to your property to verify the breed.

Make sure your policy provides coverage for that dog breed.

Pay attention to the language in the policy.

If your dog has a personal history of biting and/or a bite claim, then no company will insure you.

In terms of dog ownership and pet ownership, honesty is the best policy. Also is being proactive about your pet ownership.

“Mark’s summer internship in the city was a dream come true for a 17-year-old — especially because he got to drive there every day in his very own car.

TAKING THE WHEEL
His parents made sure he bought the car with his own money and also paid for the insurance, so this job definitely helped. Mark carried state minimums since that was all he could afford.

TEEN DRIVERS ARE INEXPERIENCED
While parallel parking early one morning, Mark accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake pedal while in reverse. Just then, Erica, age 32, stepped off the curb to cross the street between the parked cars and became pinned between them. The accident led to the amputation of Erica’s legs.

She was flown to a nearby hospital to receive treatment and after her extensive inpatient care, she required a special amputee rehabilitation team to aid in her recovery process. Her post-acute treatment included physical rehabilitation, expert fitting and custom-manufacture of a prostheses to help her regain function and mobility and psychological services.

HOW A PERSONAL UMBRELLA HELPED
Mark’s minimum coverage for Erica’s medical bills was quickly exhausted since he was underinsured for this type of accident.

Since Erica had a $2 MM standalone personal umbrella policy with $1 MM excess UM/UIM, it kicked in after the underinsured motorist on her auto was exhausted to take care of her outstanding medical bills.”

Claim: $1.5 MM

An umbrella policy is a stand-alone policy that allows you to both protect your assets and protect yourself from the underinsured.

Even if your teen is already insured under your policy, you may want additional protection.

Those who don’t have teens are still in need of a policy that protects them from underinsured motorists. You can’t rely on others to have the proper insurance.

New teen drivers are hitting the road this summer. Contact us today to find out how our standalone personal umbrella policy with limits up to $10 MM can help protect your insured.

As the weather warms up, everyone starts thinking about vacation. People start thinking about buying a boat or RV and those who are already owners take them out of storage, wipe the dust off, and get them ready for a road trip.

Boats are RVs are big investments you want to make sure they’re properly insured.

You could add your RV or boat to your auto policy, but be aware that it wouldn’t cover all the things you’d want it to cover. That type of insurance just covers the vehicle itself.

Some additional coverage you may want is trip interruption and theft.

Trip Interruption: Each policy is different, but in short, if your trip is postponed or canceled due to things like extreme weather, injury or illness, you can put in a claim for reimbursement if you have trip interruption on your policy.

Theft: If something is stolen from your RV or boat, it won’t be covered with your standard auto policy. Things like camping equipment and barbeques are expensive, and with the right policy they would be covered.

*If you own a home you could always put in a claim through your home insurance. Oftentimes, however, homeowners prefer not to, as this would impact their homeowner’s rates.

With boat and RV insurance, what happens on the boat or the RV stays on that policy, and doesn’t affect the homeowner’s policy.

Other: Things like awning and attachments are very likely not covered under an auto policy. As just the vehicle itself is covered under an auto policy, any other damage would be coming out of pocket.

Tows: What happens if you break down on the lake and need a tow? What if you just run out of gas? These services can be covered under your boat insurance.

Full Value: RVs can be insured for their “full value.” So if you bought that RV for $100,000, you can insure it for that same amount. This is different from a car, where your payout is lower as the car depreciates over time.

If own a boat or an RV, or are getting ready to purchase, get in touch and we can see what coverage is right for you and your vehicles.

Please feel free to pass this information on to a boat or RV-owning friend.

We are still offering a $10 incentive for referring a friend and last quarter we offered the bonus incentive of a culminating raffle for an i-pad. The winner will be announced on social media, so stay tuned!

California is known for its great beaches, fine wines, and… earthquakes. It’s been a while since we’ve experienced a quake of notable size (1994, to be exact), but out of all of the states in the United States, we’re still the earthquake capital.

It’s a fact that some Californians take pride in… because you just can’t find quakes like ours in places like Ohio.

Why is April designated Earth Quake Preparedness Month?

So in the month of April, organizations like shakeout.org and ready.gov bring awareness to an issue that we’re not usually thinking about until the ground beneath our feet is, literally, moving.

Check out this earthquake PSA from Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock.

How likely is an earthquake?

If you’re in California an earthquake of some magnitude is inevitable, at some point. People have been speculating about “the big one” for some time. Apocalyptic scenarios have been the subject of major motion picture films and alarmist news stories, like this recent story from ABC news.

Should you have Earth Quake Insurance?

Since we’re an insurance agency, we’re usually thinking about insurance. It’s what we do.

Most California homeowners are aware that if your home is damaged in an earthquake, your regular insurance doesn’t cover it. The California Earth Quake Authority is one agency, among others, that offers insurance.

But should YOU have earthquake insurance?

Maybe. It depends.

It depends on…

Where you live. Do you live in a high-risk area? (If you live in California you have to raise one hand, but if you live on a fault line, you have to raise both.)

How much equity you have in your home. If you have 20% equity or more, it’s time to start looking.

If it’s it worth it for you. Some policies require you to pay a 15% deductable before you start rebuilding.

Deciding if earthquake insurance is right for your and your home requires a little math and personal assessment.

Auto insurance will cover a number of strange incidents while on the road.

Auto insurance is one of the most common insurance policies out there. From claims of fender benders to stolen vehicle claims, many people know the basics of what their policy will cover. However, your car insurance policy will also provide coverage for some strange issues. Keep these strange auto insurance claims in mind to see if you have the protection that you deserve.

Three car pile up caused by a mattress – a couple forgot to tie down their mattress to the top of their vehicle before taking off. As they were driving down the freeway, the mattress came loose and landed in the middle of the road, causing a three car pile up. Unfortunately, the three affected drivers did not have uninsured motorist coverage, leaving them to cover the repairs on their own after the mattress owners left the scene.

Hail insurance fail – after a heavy hail storm in the 1990s, one driver made a claim to their car insurance company for hail damage. After looking at the damage, and insurance adjuster found out that the damage was actually caused by a ball-peen hammer. After the claim for hail damage was denied, the owner of the vehicle then made a vandalism claim to their auto insurance policy for the ball-peen hammer damage.

Shotgun rider – one man made a claim to his auto insurance company after his shotgun fell out of his hands and destroyed the entire cab of his truck. He didn’t know if the gun went off when it hit the ground or when his hand slipped while grabbing for the weapon. Luckily, his comprehensive coverage paid for the necessary repairs.

To ensure that you have the right Conejo Valley auto insurance policy to provide coverage for any incident that you may encounter, contact the independent insurance professionals at Cappuccino Insurance Agency in Westlake Village, California.